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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 4 Hansard (7 May) . . Page.. 1032 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

I think it is clearly shown that that is absolute nonsense, especially when one looks at the United States again. The melting pot has been a great success there. She goes on to say:

As I speak, men, women and children are being butchered because they are different in some way from their murderers, their only crime being that of living in a multicultural society imposed historically by politicians, colonisers or other external forces. The African continent is in constant turmoil and the horrors of Rwanda, Somalia and Ethiopia are still fresh in our minds.

Mr Speaker, that has nothing to do with multiculturalism. That has to do with problems between some of the traditional tribes of Africa and some atrociously drawn colonial boundaries. Absolutely no regard was paid to the people who lived there at the time when the European colonisers came in and carved up Africa along illogical, insensible and totally incorrect lines. That has absolutely nothing to do with multiculturalism or melting pots or anything like that. Again, Mr Speaker, she is absolutely way off beam there.

Mr Berry interjected about the United States. We all can criticise the United States over many things.

Mr Berry: Why do you not go over there and look, Bill? Just have a little wander around.

MR STEFANIAK: I have, Mr Berry.

Mr Berry: Just walk through a couple of backstreets in New York. You will get a bit of a feel for it.

MR STEFANIAK: Yes, we all can criticise the United States. There are a lot of things that are wrong in the United States. There are a lot of things that are wrong in any society. But to say that is because of multiculturalism, Mr Berry, is wrong. Because there are so many different people in the United States from so many different backgrounds, sure, there might be problems. There might be some problems in the backstreets of New York, sure.

Mr Berry: Multiculturalism, except for blacks, except for the poor, except for the working-class people, except for unionists.

MR STEFANIAK: There are some very great successes which can be attributed, Mr Berry, to multiculturalism and to the melting pot effect. That is what I am saying, and you cannot deny that. There might be poverty and injustices in that system which maybe they should counter better, but you cannot say that that country is a failure because of multiculturalism. Even you, I would hope, would have to agree with that.

Mr Berry: I have not said that. You were saying that it is a great success as a melting pot.

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